February 2023 – Lifestyle Today

THE MUMBAI URBAN ART FESTIVAL BY ST+ART INDIA REITERATES THE TRANSFORMATIONAL POWER OF PUBLIC ART TO CREATE ALTERNATE SPACES FOR FRESH DIALOGUES

22Feb

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Lifestyle & Arts

THE MUMBAI URBAN ART FESTIVAL BY ST+ART INDIA REITERATES THE TRANSFORMATIONAL POWER OF PUBLIC ART TO CREATE ALTERNATE SPACES FOR FRESH DIALOGUES

Interviews by Mallika Chandra. Photographs by Naomi Shah. PARAG TANDELVitamin Sea Do you think that the festival provides visitors with an opportunity to engage meaningfully with the Koli fishing community and the issues that they face at large? The festival at Sassoon Docks acts as a site-specific artistic intervention. I create socially engaged art and it’s how you mould people’s minds that is important. The city does not know much about the Kolis, I don’t think urban dwellers are concerned about our ongoing issues; they are busy earning their livelihoods and pursuing their ambitions. This festival is an attempt to redirect attention towards the issues plag...

Shattering the Jarred Pasta Sauce Stigma

21Feb

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Food & Nutrition

Shattering the Jarred Pasta Sauce Stigma

I’ve often found that my appreciation for a store-bought jar of pasta sauce can be considered slightly controversial. “Just make your own,” my friends who are most likely to go full Dan Barber when setting up a dinner party will scold me, condemning me for spending my time making something they’ll say is better because it’s “fresh”—as if I don’t do that already. And yes, when I’ve got a little more time, I’ll crack open a can of Central California and Napoli peeled tomatoes—instantly defeating the idea of freshness, by the way, as if I’ve got vines of ripened tomatoes at my disposal all year in New York. I’ll crush them with my hands, add in the oil and garlic and some (never too many) onions, then wait to toss some basil in there. But I’m only hu...

Veganistan Isn’t a Vegan Bible—It’s Better

20Feb

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Food & Nutrition

Veganistan Isn’t a Vegan Bible—It’s Better

On a street corner in the South London neighborhood of Peckham stands Persepolis, a Middle Eastern foods shop painted canary yellow. Peer through the big front windows, and you’ll find a pastry case filled with Turkish delight and crisp paklava, shelves stocked with dried barberries and jarred mango pickle, and a few tables and chairs occupied by happy diners. Back in the kitchen is Sally Butcher, recognizable by her signature halo of red curls, who runs the shop with her husband, Jamshid. “I had the advantage of spending a lot of time with my [Persian] mother-in-law, who is an excellent cook,” Sally told me. “I learned Farsi and cooking simultaneously—food is an excellent way to communicate.” Sally and Jamshid have been together for almost ...

Olives – Everything You Need to Know About Them

18Feb

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Food & Nutrition

Olives – Everything You Need to Know About Them

All About Olives I love olives and the products prepared from them. I can't imagine not having olive oil to cook and drizzle on foods. And how can you have a charcuterie board with no olives? And what about pizza? What Are Olives? Olives are small, oval-shaped fruits that grow on olive trees and are native to the Mediterranean region. The tree is an important species for human civilization, as it has been cultivated for thousands of years for its fruit, oil, and wood. Olives come in different varieties, each with its distinct flavor and texture. Some of the most popular types of olives include Kalamata, Picholine, Manzanilla, and Niçoise. Green olives are usually picked before they are fully ripe, while black olives are picked when they are fully ripe. Olives are often ...

15Feb

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Food & Nutrition

You Don’t Need Tuna to Do the Melt

Tuna melts are said to have been discovered accidentally in the 1960s when, at the lunch counter at Woolworth’s department store in Charleston, South Carolina, a bowl of tuna salad fell onto a grilled cheese sandwich. It may sound like the meet-cute from any number of romantic comedies—and equally rife with sexual tension—but it turned out well for the tuna melt, which has become one of America’s essential sandwiches. The tuna melt remains an icon, but one that is ever evolving as plant-forward diets become increasingly popular. Chickpeas are a familiar alternative, usually mashed and flavored similarly to a classic tuna salad, but other, more veggie-forward options exist as well. Take, for example, Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen’s broccoli m...

14Feb

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Food & Nutrition

You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Spice Rack

Pick up a bottle of herbes de Provence off just about any American grocery store or fine food store shelf and you’ll find a familiar lineup of bucolic French herbs: thyme, rosemary, basil, tarragon, and lavender flowers. But in France, where the heady blend is widely used on roast chicken and grilled lamb chops, not a single petal of the potent purple flower makes it into the jar. “Everyone in the United States thinks herbes de Provence [traditionally] has lavender, but it was added to the American blend because Americans associate lavender with Provence,” says Ethan Frisch, cofounder of the spice company Burlap & Barrel. “Whoever came up with that was trying to cover up subpar herbs by adding this ‘French ingredient’ to it.” This is j...

Everything You Need to Know About Imitation Crab

13Feb

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Food & Nutrition

Everything You Need to Know About Imitation Crab

All About Imitation Crab Have you ever had a California Roll and wondered what the imitation crab like substance really is? You know it's not real crab but it looks and tastes a lot like crab but it isn't. I've been wondering about this for a while so I wrote this post to explain what it is, how it is made and how to use it in cooking. What Is Imitation Crab? I have wondered about this for a long time. Imitation crab is a seafood product made from surimi, a type of fish paste that is shaped and flavored to resemble crab meat. It is often used in dishes like crab cakes, sushi rolls, and salads. Imitation crab is typically lower in cost and milder in flavor compared to real crab meat. Where Does It Come From? Imitation crab is made from surimi, a type of fish paste made ...

8Feb

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Food & Nutrition

How to Make a Classic Margarita

All About the Magnificent Margarita I have enjoyed a cold, refreshing margarita from time to time. I prefer them in the summer sitting at an open bar with a view of the ocean, but I wouldn't refuse one while dining at a Mexican restaurant. I would like to tell you a bit about margaritas, frozen margaritas, and some variations. And what about those brain freezes? What's that all about? What Is A Margarita? A margarita is a famous cocktail made with tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur. The drink is typically served in a salt-rimmed glass and is often garnished with a lime wedge. The traditional method of making a margarita is by shaking the ingredients with ice and then straining the mixture into a glass. The origins of the Margarita are not entirely clear; some s...

7Feb

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Food & Nutrition

Gumbo, Jambalaya, Yakamein?

“I tell people all the time that yakamein is one of New Orleans’ best-kept secrets,” says Linda Green, a New Orleans chef who is known across the city as Ms. Linda, the Yakamein Lady. Green began selling yakamein, a powerfully savory, meaty Chinese and African American noodle soup with conflicting origin stories, at second line parades after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Also called “Old Sober,” the salty broth is beloved as a high-sodium hangover cure. Green keeps her recipe for yakamein a secret, but the main components are always the same: broth or “juice” (classically beef, infused with soy sauce and spices), wheat noodles (usually spaghetti), a hard-boiled egg, and some kind of protein (everything from chicken and oysters to alligator and duck...

Tomatoes – Everything You Need To Know About Them

5Feb

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Food & Nutrition

Tomatoes – Everything You Need To Know About Them

All About Tomatoes Tomatoes are important to me. I grew up in New Jersey and my dad grew beefsteak tomatoes every summer, so we enjoyed a lot of sliced tomatoes with mayonnaise, salt and pepper. For the 20-plus years we lived in the suburbs of Philadelphia we grew our own tomatoes. Our kids were raised on Caprese salads made with some beefsteaks, but we also introduced them to heirloom tomatoes. Now that we've moved to Utah we've tried to grow tomatoes but haven't figured out how to get them to grow during the short growing season out here. A work in progress. What Are Tomatoes? Tomatoes are a widely cultivated and consumed fruit (botanically a berry) originating from South America. They are a key ingredient in many cuisines around the world and can be eaten raw, cooke...